


Set Our Hearts Ablaze

by DialedIn



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Multi, Polyamory, Threesome - F/F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-13 20:15:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28784037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DialedIn/pseuds/DialedIn
Summary: The last thing Raven expected when she answered a room for rent ad was to find love. Especially when that love is with her married housemates.
Relationships: Clarke Griffin & Raven Reyes, Clarke Griffin/Lexa, Emori/John Murphy (The 100), Emori/John Murphy/Raven Reyes, Emori/Raven Reyes, John Murphy/Raven Reyes
Comments: 26
Kudos: 66





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! 
> 
> This is an idea that I've had in my head for quite some time and I finally decided to start getting down. At the moment I have just over 34,000 words so I should be able to post fairly regularly, but I don't stick to a certain schedule.
> 
> This story wouldn't exist without my awesome writing buddy northernxstories. Thanks for the support, encouragement, editing help, laughter, and friendship!
> 
> I hope everyone enjoys!

Chapter 1

Raven sighed with relief as she peeled off her bra and work shirt, before putting on a well-worn long sleeved shirt, and sunk into the plush chair in the corner of her bedroom. Work had been especially tiring today, and she was thrilled to have nothing pressing to do, except maybe read a little of the book she had received for her last birthday. She reached over to select one of her favorite playlists on her phone, and smiled when the familiar strains of music flowed through the room. As soon as she had read the first page of her book, however, she heard a knock at her bedroom door. “Come in,” she called out, turning to face the door. She figured it was her roommate, and despite the interruption in her evening relaxation she was always up for time with Clarke. The two often worked different shifts, with Clarke working a lot of evening and weekend shifts as a physician’s assistant at the hospital closest to their apartment.

Clarke’s face appeared in the doorway, a forced smile on her face. “Hey Raven,” she said, more quietly than was normal for her, “do you have a minute?” She reached up to fidget with the string on her hoodie while she waited for a response.

Raven raised her eyebrows, unable to stop the feeling of unease. This was so uncharacteristically Clarke, and Raven hoped her face didn’t betray her edginess as she motioned for Clarke to take a seat on the empty desk chair. “What’s up?”

Clarke lowered herself into the desk chair and blew out a breath, “Okay. So you know how the lease here is up soon? And we’ve been talking about what to do?”

“Yes,” Raven answered. They had lived in this apartment for almost two years now, and it had been a mostly perfect place for them. She and Clarke had been friends since high school and despite some initial antagonism when they were both briefly interested in the same man, the two of them had maintained their friendship through college and now into their adult years. They were compatible roommates and had seen each other through thick and thin. 

“Well,” Clarke started, messing with the string more aggressively, “we need to decide. Lexa asked me to move in with her, and I said yes.” Clarke talked so fast that Raven almost didn’t understand what she had said.

Raven blinked her eyes and cocked her head at Clarke. “Can you repeat that? Did you say you are moving in with Lexa? Why do you look like someone ran over your puppy? Isn’t this a good thing?” 

Clarke had met Lexa just under a year ago when Clarke volunteered to be medical personnel at a half marathon in which Lexa had been running. Lexa had tripped during the race, seriously spraining her ankle, and Clarke had been in the right place at the right time to meet the love of her life. They had been inseparable ever since, and Raven had grown to consider Lexa part of the family.

“Of course it’s a good thing,” Clarke said quickly, “but I just thought, well I thought you’d be upset since everything is going to change now.”

Raven knew what Clarke was trying to say. Without Clarke living in the apartment, the rent would be unaffordable for Raven on her own. Working at a car dealership as an auto mechanic wasn’t Raven’s dream job, not by a long stretch but it had allowed her to live independently in reasonable comfort. The apartment was great, and Raven would miss living in it, but she never shied away from a new challenge and she wasn’t about to start now. Perhaps this change was just what she needed to force herself out of the rut she was in. Plus, she reasoned to herself, Clarke and Lexa were the perfect couple, and she knew how happy they would be to live together.

“It’s fine, Clarke,” Raven assured her, “I know how over the moon Lexa will be to have you there every night, plus now you’ll be able to have sex whenever you want without worrying you’re going to scar me.” Clarke’s face turned a brilliant shade of red and Raven tried not to burst into laughter.

Clarke nodded, “Okay. I’m glad. I thought you were going to be so upset, and of course I’m going to miss living with you.”

“Well duh,” Raven smirked and rolled her eyes, “I’m the best roommate ever. So when is the big move?”

“Well the lease is up in September, it’s almost August now, so I figured we would give the landlord notice now, and I’ll be moved out by September first,” Clarke explained.

“Got it. So I’ll start looking for sometime soon, and plan to be out by then as well,” Raven said, “Hey! Maybe you can have a housewarming party at the new place! You can invite everyone and make it a whole thing.”

Clarke laughed, “Sure Raven, we can talk about that later.”

“So you’ll put the notice in and I’ll let you know what I can find as far as places to live, and it’ll all be good,” Raven said, hoisting herself out of the plush chair she had been sitting in and maneuvering gingerly on her disabled leg. She walked toward Clarke and held out her arms, “Hug for old times sake? Since I’m the best roomie you’ve ever had and you’re going to miss me so much.”

Clarke burst out laughing and returned the hug easily, as she said, “So much, Raven.”

It wasn’t until hours later when Raven was curled up under her blankets and her mind wouldn’t stop racing that she realized moving out would mean having to actually  _ search _ for a new place to live. “Oh hell,” she whispered to herself, dreading the process she would have to start in the morning.

~~~

Three days after Clarke had announced that she was moving in with Lexa, Raven finally sat down with the intention to make some real progress on the journey that was finding a new place to live. As she pulled up Craigslist on her laptop she sent a small wish out into the universe that she would find a suitable situation sooner rather than later, and that she would be able to avoid a large majority of the  _ characters  _ that seemed to inhabit the internet in droves.

Clarke waltzed into the living room and sat on the couch next to Raven, setting a bowl of popcorn on the coffee table. “Are you ready to watch some shitty reality TV?”

Raven laughed, “Of course. You know you’re going to really miss me when it comes to binging all of your terrible favorite TLC shows, because I know for a fact that Lexa can’t stand reality TV.”

“Don’t remind me,” Clarke groaned, “I love the woman, but sometimes I just need some junk TV to remind me that my life isn’t such a mess.”

“Well, you’re still a mess,” Raven told Clarke with a snicker, “but that’s why we love you. Now turn the TV on and leave me be, I’m trying to find a new place to live.”

Clarke tossed a piece of popcorn at Raven’s face with a snort and pointed the remote at the television, “Whatever you say, dear.”

Raven turned back to her laptop’s screen, clicking on the  _ housing _ link and glancing through the options. She decided on looking through the apartment listings first, but quickly clicked the back button when she saw the prices displayed. All of the choices would leave her in the same predicament she was currently in.

“Jeez, apartments are so expensive,” Raven grumbled, “this is going to be a lot harder than I thought.”

Clarke leaned closer to take a look, “What’s up?”

Raven turned the screen so Clarke could see better, “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

“Aren’t there any ads for people looking for roommates?” Clarke asked, scrolling up and down the page.

Raven let out a breath, “Not that I can see.” She clicked the back button and examined the screen.

“What about there where it says rooms for rent?” Clarke asked pointing to a different link.

“That looks promising,” Raven said, clicking on the link, “I’ll see what I can find.

Clarke nodded and turned back to the television, “let me know if you need anything.”

Raven bit down on her lip and read through the first few ads, passing by each one that didn’t sound like it had even the possibility of working. She continued scrolling and reading, trying to ignore the sounds of the show in which Clarke was engrossed. 

Raven let out a horrified squeak when she read a new ad headline, and called out, “Clarke! Listen to this!”

Clarke paused the show and turned to look at Raven, “What is it?”

Raven began reading, using every ounce of restraint she possessed to keep from bursting out with laughter, “Curvy live in girlfriend wanted is the headline, what the fuck? Oh shit, listen to the actual message, it says he will pay all the bills and then gives the briefest of physical descriptions of the guy who does not sound appealing at all.”

Clarke shrieked with laughter, “That’s a hard pass, Raven. There has to be something better than that.”

“Damn, I freaking hope so,” Raven said, slightly more serious as the reality of the situation hit her.

“Keep looking,” Clarke encouraged, and turned back to her show.

Raven rolled her eyes and went back to scrolling through the different listings, passing over the ones that were definite negatives and reading through the ones that showed possibility. She scoffed at an ad looking for a live in girlfriend that could only be white and would help with childcare, and cringed when she saw several more ads looking for women of certain ages who would be willing to live in someone’s house and perform specific responsibilities. 

Raven gave a sudden squeak and slammed her laptop shut, closing her eyes and taking several deep breaths to calm herself.

“What is it?” Clarke asked, curiosity in her voice.

Raven swallowed hard and took a few more breaths, “This ad is from a man who is a, and I quote, ‘crossdresser’ and wants someone who doesn’t mind him walking around in panties. And there are pictures! Clarke there are pictures of this man in women’s underwear, which you know, I don’t kink shame of course, but I didn’t need to see it!”

“Holy shit, there are pictures?” Clarke had abandoned her show and was reaching for Raven’s laptop.

“Why on Earth would you want to look at those?” Raven asked, still trying to cleanse her mind from what she had seen.

“Uh, it’s real life reality TV,” Clarke replied without pause.

“You need help, Clarke. Maybe Lexa and I need to stage an intervention.”

Clarke snorted, “You can’t tell me something as scandalous as that, and then not expect me to at least be curious.”

Raven shook her head, and reached back for the laptop, opening it for Clarke to look at and then quickly hitting the back button. The next ad she found wasn’t much better, a person looking simply for a roommate who would provide sexual favors. She groaned in frustration and pushed the laptop off of her lap and onto the couch cushion next to her. She was beginning to think that finding another suitable place to live was an impossibility. “I’m going to take a bathroom break,” she announced to Clarke before getting to her feet, “do you need anything from the kitchen while I’m gone?”

Clarke waved her off, too engrossed in the show to give a verbal answer.

Raven walked back to the bathroom, taking her time as she took in the apartment. This had been one of her happiest homes and while she put on a brave face about Clarke leaving and her having to move out, the truth was that she was a little scared about having to start over again. Looking at the room for rent ads and finding them mostly situations to which she was strongly opposed had rattled her a bit, she worried that she wouldn’t be able to find something that would work as well as her life as Clarke’s roommate.

“Welcome back,” Clarke said when Raven returned to her place on the couch.

Raven cracked a smile and grabbed her laptop to continue looking at the depressing list of places to live. As she scrolled mindlessly back up the webpage, she suddenly stopped and gasped.

Clarke looked at her with interest, and asked hopefully, “More scandalous pictures?”

“No,” Raven breathed, “A new ad was just posted. Holy crap! Listen to this!” Raven clicked the link and began reading to Clarke, “Seeking a single roommate or a couple to rent a room in our house. You would have your own bathroom and access to shared common areas in the house including living room, dining room, and kitchen. No major drinking/drugs/partying please. We are looking for someone who is employed. We are an easy going couple and are happy to answer any questions you may have.”

“That sounds pretty decent,” Clarke remarked, reading the ad over again, “What do you think? Are you going to send an email?”

Raven shrugged, “It can’t hurt. It’s the best option I’ve seen so far. Hopefully they are still relatively normal even after I hear from them.”

“There’s the spirit,” Clarke laughed, “worst case, I can probably talk Lexa into letting you live on our couch for a little while.”

“Oh hell no,” Raven retorted, “No amount of ear plugs and bleach for my eyes could make living with you two lovebirds an option.”

Clarke pelted Raven with several more pieces of popcorn in retaliation.

~~~

Almost a full twenty-four hours after sending an email asking about the availability of the room to rent, Raven was beginning to lose hope that her one good lead on a place to live was going to amount to anything. She obsessively checked the email app on her phone, and had even checked her computer on the off chance that the message hadn’t crossed over. As she got further and further away from the time she had sent the initial message, her hopes sank even more.

In order to distract herself from the woes of finding a new place to live, Raven had volunteered to help Clarke begin packing. As they began sifting through art supplies, Raven knew she had found a way to keep herself busy for the foreseeable future. “How many paint brushes does one person need?” Raven said with a laugh.

Clarke rolled her eyes, “Don’t judge my artistic needs, you don’t know the struggle.”

Raven’s reply was interrupted by the email alert on her phone.

“Is that the room?” Clarke asked, leaning forward to read over Raven’s shoulder.

“Yes, it is,” Raven answered, “now let me be so I can read it.”

~~~

Raven settled into her bed, back resting against the headboard with her phone in her hands and opened up the email. She read over the words greedily, delighting more and more at how perfect the situation seemed.

_ Hi Raven, _

_ My name is Emori! I got your email the other day, and I’m sorry I am so late to respond. Work kept me pretty crazy and I just couldn’t sit down and write out what I wanted to say until now. As I wrote in the ad, the rent includes a private bedroom and bathroom as well as a closet in the bedroom and you have access to all of the common spaces in the home. We also have a pretty nice backyard with a deck if that’s something that you like. We do have a washer and dryer in the house and you would of course be welcome to use both. We have cable, internet, and a few streaming services. We would split the utilities three ways to make it fair, my husband John and I would pay for two-thirds of the utilities and you would have the remaining third. I hope that works for you.  _

_ We are pretty boring for the most part. We both work full time, John works at night so he does need to sleep during the day and we are looking for someone who would be respectful of that. We don’t have any pets, but aren’t necessarily opposed to a roommate having a pet depending on the situation. _

_ If all of this sounds good to you, send me an email back and we can set up a time to meet. I’d like to have you come when John and I are both here to make sure we are all compatible. I’ve attached some pictures so you can see what the house looks like. _

The attached pictures were gorgeous, the house seemed quaint and well cared for with a beautiful yard and deck. The kitchen was spacious and the common living areas all looked comfortable, and there were enough amenities to make Raven even more excited to move in. The house seemed to be a definite step up from the apartment, even if she had to get used to new roommates. And Raven had always prided herself on being a fairly extroverted person who made friends easily.

Raven smiled as she clicked on the reply button and began typing out a response. 

_ Hello Emori, _

_ I am so glad to hear back from you! I was starting to get worried I wouldn’t be able to find a place that worked for me, but your house sounds like a dream come true. Everything you wrote in your email sounds good. It’s just me, no pets, and I have no problem being quiet during the day so that your husband can sleep. I’m usually at work during the week day anyway. I only had a few questions for you, would I be responsible for any household chores, and are there any quirks or anything you think I would benefit from knowing? Also I wanted to add that I work as a mechanic, and am really handy around the house. I’m always fixing things for my current roommate, so if you need someone who is handy I’m your girl. _

_ I’d love to come meet you both and see the house. I’m very interested. Please email me back and let me know a day and time that works for you both. _

_ I look forward to hearing from you. _

Ten minutes after she hit send, a new email from Emori popped up with an address and a time the next day to come by and meet. Raven held her phone to her chest and grinned broadly, finally feeling the return of her excitement for this new adventure. She only hoped her new roommates were as perfect a fit as the house seemed to be.


	2. Chapter 2

When Raven walked through the apartment door and kicked off her boots, she was already absolutely exhausted. She then looked at her watch and realized she only had an hour to get to the house to meet her prospective new roommates. “Shit,” she grumbled as she made her way into the kitchen to scrounge for a snack to tide her over until she could get something for dinner. 

Clarke’s face appeared from around the corner as Raven entered the kitchen, “You rang dear?”

Raven laughed lightly, “You’re so dumb. What are you doing here? I thought you were working today?” 

“I switched my shift,” Clarke answered, “some baby shower, or dog’s birthday party, or something, I don’t know.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re here anyway,” Raven answered as she bit into an apple.

“When are you going to look at that house?” Clarke asked, grabbing dishes from the drying rack to put them away.

“I have to leave in about twenty minutes,” Raven answered, looking at her watch again. She hated being late and had every intention of getting to the house early, even if it meant sitting in her car until it was time to ring the doorbell.

Clarke nodded and continued putting dishes away. “Do you want me to come with you?” She asked, stopping to look at Raven, “At least to make sure everything is okay and they don’t abduct you into their sex cult or something.”

Raven rolled her eyes, “You have got to stop watching so much crappy TV, I really think it’s melting your brain. And no, I think I’ll be okay. I will leave the address with you though. So if you don’t hear from me at least you’ll know where to send the cops.”

“Smart,” Clarke agreed, “Well, have a good time, and I hope the house 

is perfect. And that they don’t turn you into a sex slave.”

“Clarke!” Raven said with exasperation, “I’m leaving now. I’ll text you later.”

“Have fun,” Clarke called after her, cackling as she continued putting dishes away.

~~~

Raven drove her car slowly through the charming neighborhood to which the directions on her phone had brought her. She searched for the house number she had been given, slowing the car down so she could read the numbers on the mailboxes as she passed them. After several minutes of searching, she found the numbers she had been looking for on a tidy looking gray mailbox. She pulled her car into the driveway, parked in front of the closed garage door, and took a few deep calming breaths. “Moment of truth,” she whispered to herself.

As Raven got out of the car she took a few moments to collect her thoughts and look around. The neighborhood appeared to be quiet and did not have much traffic. The houses were all neat and spaced apart, with pretty yards. After living in an apartment for so long, the space and freedom seemed like heaven to Raven. She followed the paved walkway up to the front door, which was painted a deep royal blue and nestled in between the garage to the left and a large bay window to the right. A floral wreath hung on the front door, proclaiming a cheerful welcome to visitors. Raven pushed the doorbell, moved nervously from one foot to the other, and waited for the door to open.

Just a few seconds passed when the door opened and a man and woman stood on the other side, smiling at her. They both looked to be around the same age as Raven, in their mid twenties she guessed. The woman had a kind face, with warm brown eyes, and she beckoned Raven inside, “Hi! You must be Raven. I’m Emori and this is my husband, John. Please come in.”

Raven raised her hand in a little wave and walked through the front door. The hallway from the front door led straight into the living room, passing through the kitchen and then dining room, and Raven followed Emori and John into the house before taking a seat on a comfortable looking chair in the corner of the living room. Emori had long, dark hair, and the brightest smile Raven had ever seen. She was dressed comfortably, in a long flowing patchwork quilt patterned skirt paired with a flattering cream colored blouse. Raven noticed a long glove on her left hand, similar to the kind worn by ladies at formal dinners but shaped like a mitten, and while she wondered as to the reasoning, she didn't ask. John, on the other hand, seemed a little more reserved but still welcoming. He had lighter brown hair, a dusting of stubble on his face, and the brightest blue eyes Raven had ever seen. He wore simple slacks and a button down shirt that was only buttoned two-thirds of the way up.

“Thank you for responding to my email and having me over to meet you both,” Raven said, hoping that she would give enough of a good impression to grant her a spot in this house.

“Of course,” Emori answered easily, tucking pieces of her dark brown hair behind her ears and leaning forward, “honestly we were thrilled when you answered the ad. You were about the only tempting response we received. I didn’t realize just how many characters there are online.”

Raven couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up out of her, “You can say that again.”

“So what questions do you have for us?” Emori asked, crossing her legs and leaning against John who was seated next to her on the couch.

“Other than what I asked in my last email, about household chores and any quirks, no I can’t really think of anything,” Raven answered.

“So no chores, so to speak,” Emori replied easily, “obviously we would like everyone to work together to keep the common areas clean, and while we won’t dictate how to keep your room and bathroom, we would hope that you will keep those areas clean as well. John does a lot of cooking, but we don’t expect you to be here to eat or anything like that.”

Raven perked up and leaned forward, “What do you like to cook, John?”

“Murphy,” the man answered quickly, “everyone calls me Murphy, except for this one.” He placed an arm around Emori then, squeezing her and dropping a kiss on the side of her head.

“Murphy then,” Raven answered, smiling at the obvious love these two had for each other. It reminded her of the love she had witnessed between Clarke and Lexa, and gave her hope that true love did in fact exist.

“To answer your question,” Murphy said smiling easily, “I cook a little bit of everything. I like to experiment with recipes and see what I can come up with. It’s a little bit of a hobby for me.”

“You won’t hear me complain,” Raven laughed, “I can cook a mean mac and cheese from the box, but my friend Clarke, who is also my current roommate, can’t cook anything without needing a fire extinguisher on standby.”

“Ouch,” Emori laughed, “You said that you are handy though? Would you be willing to help with some little things around the house of that nature? John and I aren’t the best at that sort of thing.”

“Yeah, definitely.” Raven agreed easily, “I love fiddling with stuff, I was always that kid taking things apart only to put it back together again. I’ve taken a lot of different classes in trade school, and I’m comfortable doing your basic home care needs, fixing minor breakages and stuff like that. But I can also do a lot of home improvement, including plumbing and electrical. Basically there isn’t much out there that breaks that I’m not able to fix one way or another.”

“Sounds like a great match,” Emori said with a smile while she rubbed her gloved hand absently, “Do you want to see the room, then?”

“Yeah, that would be great,” Raven answered, pushing herself up off of the chair.

“Oh, one more thing,” Emori shook her head as if the thought would escape again if she wasn’t careful, “I told you in the email that John works night shift, and one of our reasons for looking for a roommate was to keep me from being alone at night when he isn’t here. Is that going to be a problem at all? And not to sound forward at all, but do you have a partner, someone who you might spend the night with?” Emori’s facial expression was apologetic for having to ask such a personal question.

Raven shook her head without hesitation, “No, that’s not a problem at all, I’m single, and am not really into one-night stands or anything. So no sudden sleepovers. And don’t feel bad about asking that, it’s a valid question.” Raven cleared her throat and continued, “At the most, I might go to my friend Clarke’s place every once in a while, but I would rarely spend the night. I think I mentioned her earlier, we’ve been roommates for the last two years, but she’s moving in with her long term girlfriend and the lease was up on our apartment.”

“Perfect. Follow us, then,” Emori told her, and led her down a hallway that was perpendicular to the dining room’s entrance. As they walked down the hall Emori pointed out the laundry closet on the right, and the bathroom on the left. “This will be your bathroom.”

They walked into the bathroom and Raven was thrilled to see that there was a full tub with a showerhead, as well as a sink and vanity. The room was modestly decorated, with unassuming beige walls and a plain shower curtain.

“Then the bedroom is right next door,” Emori told Raven as they walked into the room.

“It’s perfect,” Raven breathed as she walked into the open bedroom. The room was as plain as the bathroom, and Raven was already thinking of all the ways she could turn this space into hers. There was no furniture, but a large closet and a window on the back wall that looked out onto the side yard. 

Emori and Murphy were both standing in the doorway watching her take in the space. “What do you think?” Emori asked.

“I think I would love to live here,” Raven told them, turning to look at them.

Emori looked at Murphy and smiled, “What do you think?”

“I’m game if you two are,” he answered with a smirk.

“Great!” Emori answered, “Let’s go back to the living room and work out some of the details and go from there.”

~~~

Raven shared the good news with Clarke as soon as she got back to the apartment. Clarke had ordered take out and the two settled onto the couch to eat and spend some time together before their time as roommates ended.

“So you liked the house?” Clarke asked, “They seemed nice? And normal? No secret dungeons for sex in the basement?”

“Yes to all, except the last one. Pervert.” Raven answered, “The house is great, not huge or anything, but perfect for what I need. And they seemed like good people. Though it’s definitely going to be weird not living with you anymore, and having to get used to new people.”

“Tell me about it,” Clarke replied, “I’m so excited to live with Lexa but I’m also a little nervous that things will change once we’re together all the time.”

“I get that,” Raven nodded, “But you and Lexa love each other, and while I’m sure there will be an adjustment period, I know you two will work it out. Just follow the advice of every rom-com out there and don’t forget to talk to each other.”

Clarke laughed, and reached for the remote so they could pick a show to watch. “When did you get so wise?”

“I’ve always been a genius, Clarke, you know that.”

They laughed together then, and Raven felt happier than she had in quite a while. Between having some quality time with her best friend while they could still be roommates, and being excited about her new home and what that change could bring for her, Raven felt like she was on the precipice of something life changing for the better.

~~~

The weeks between seeing the house and meeting Murphy and Emori, and actually moving in seemed to progress both all at once and so slowly that Raven never thought it would happen. Raven woke up early on the Saturday morning that Clarke had labeled  _ Moving Day _ in bright pink marker on the communal kitchen calendar. As she began getting dressed and preparing for the day she felt her stomach thrum with nervous energy. Most of her belongings had been packed days before and then loaded into a huge moving truck that she and Clarke had rented specifically for the moves. The plan was to move all of Clarke’s possessions to Lexa’s townhouse first, and then make the trip to drop off Raven’s belongings at her new house. Lexa had rounded up several of the teenagers at the gym where she boxed, and offered them pizza and sodas to help carry boxes and furniture. As Raven gave her room a final sweep for any forgotten items, she found herself thankful once again for Lexa’s entrance into their lives.

When Raven walked into the kitchen, pulling her hair up into a tight ponytail, she was thrilled to smell fresh coffee. “Good morning, all!” she called as she made her way to the cabinet with coffee cups and busied herself making a fresh cup.

Lexa and Clarke were both seated at the small table, a box of donuts between them. “Good morning, Raven,” Lexa greeted with her usual kind demeanor. Clarke mumbled an unintelligible greeting, clearly not yet caffeinated enough for full conversation.

“Thank for the donuts, Lexa,” Raven said after she had poured her coffee and taken a seat at the table.

Raven smiled at Lexa’s confused face, “Come on, Clarke is barely awake enough to talk, you really thought for a second I would suspect her of being the bringer of donuts?”

“Fair enough,” Lexa replied with a smirk, “Grab a donut and get ready, The guys should be here soon so we can get started.”

Raven took a sip of coffee and nodded, “Sounds like a plan.”

~~~

When Raven finally collapsed on her bed in her brand new room, she let out a long sigh and closed her eyes in relief. Moving day had been long and particularly grueling for Raven, between the physical pain from her permanently damaged leg and the emotional pain of saying goodbye to Clarke while moving into the unknown. Raven was happy to have moved in, and ready to embrace her new living situation, but the day had been exceptionally long and she couldn’t wait to simply turn her brain off and relax. Just as she made a move to sit up and change from her clothes into something resembling pajamas, a tentative knock sounded at the door. Raven called out an invitation to enter and was unsurprised when Emori’s face appeared in the doorway.

“Are you settling in okay?” Emori asked pleasantly, “Do you need anything?”

Raven was touched by the other woman’s concern, and she answered, “I’m actually doing pretty good, just trying to settle in and get some rest.”

Emori nodded in understanding and bit her bottom lip gently, in what looked like a nervous gesture to Raven. “Okay, that sounds reasonable, but if you’re interested, John is almost finished making dinner and there’s plenty for you too. If you want some, come on out.”

Raven’s stomach growled with perfect timing, and she grinned. “I guess food is probably not the worst idea. I’ll be right out.”

Emori’s smile lit up her whole face, and Raven suddenly felt a wave of warmth for this stranger who she hoped to soon call her friend. “Sounds great! I’ll tell John and we will make sure to set you a plate at the table,” Emori said brightly, then added quickly, “Oh crap! Food allergies! I forgot to ask if you had any?”

Raven laughed, “It’s okay. No, I don’t have any allergies, and I can pretty much eat anything. I’ll be out there soon. Thank you so much for the invitation.”

Emori nodded and disappeared from the doorway, shutting it softly behind her.

Raven gingerly stood up from the bed, readjusted her ponytail, and slipped on a pair of thick comfortable socks before stepping out of her room and making her way toward the kitchen.

The smells of spice and rich tomato sauce filled her nostrils as soon as she stepped into the hallway and Raven sighed in delight. When she rounded the corner and saw Emori and Murphy giggling and swaying slowly together in the kitchen, she inexplicably felt like she was where she needed to be, though she couldn’t explain why. 

“Come grab a plate!” Emori called out when she noticed Raven had entered the room, “John made spaghetti with homemade tomato sauce and meatballs.”

Raven nodded and made her way into the kitchen, feeling slightly like she was interrupting something that didn’t involve her. When she grabbed the plate that Murphy held out to her with a flourish, her fears abated slightly.

When they were all sitting down at the table, surrounded by steaming plates of spaghetti and a basket of soft looking garlic rolls, Raven began to relax and enjoy herself. By the time Murphy started telling funny stories that made her laugh so hard she almost choked on her water, and Emori laughed softly and looked at him with so much love in her eyes, Raven knew she had made the right decision. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!
> 
> Beyond grateful to northernxstories for all the help - I couldn't do it without you!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone gets to know each other, and then things get a little bit awkward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to everyone who has left comments and kudos, and for all the subscriptions and bookmarks! It means the world to me to see people enjoying this little story. I hope everyone likes this chapter, we are finally getting past all of the intro business.
> 
> As always, thanks to northernxstories for her amazing support, friendship, and love for this story. This story wouldn't exist without her.

_"You speak my lingo, we don't need no translation."_

Raven’s first week of living with Murphy and Emori went more smoothly than she expected. There were the usual adjustments of figuring out the idiosyncrasies of people that were relative strangers but with whom she also shared living space. Raven gradually began to settle into a routine in her new home, coming home most nights to delightful conversation over a home cooked meal courtesy of Murphy. Raven’s job at the dealership remained on the same weekday schedule, but was made a little easier since her new location meant a shorter commute.

Emori also worked during the week as a surgical technologist at a weekday surgery center and usually had the best stories, even if Murphy generally complained about their inappropriateness for the dinner table. 

Murphy worked the evening shift as a hospital security guard, which gave him the most unusual schedule among the three of them.

Raven got ready for her work day on a similar schedule as Emori, and the two women often crossed paths in the kitchen or dining room on the way out the door. Before too long, Raven found she enjoyed having Emori’s company during the morning rush.

Murphy often came home as the two women were preparing to leave, always stopping to give Emori the sweetest kisses. Raven had initially felt awkward watching Murphy and Emori and their overt displays of affection, but the more she got to know them the more she found their love for each other to be a comfort, a reassurance that love did occasionally work out.

Coming home from work had always been the highlight of Raven’s day, but she found that coming home to her new roommates made the end of the work day that much sweeter. Raven looked forward to the evenings when she got to spend time getting to know Murphy and Emori, who were friendly and easy going. Raven found that her evenings became increasingly routine the more time she spent in her new home.

Saturday, a week after she moved in, Raven came home from running errands and found Murphy in the kitchen getting ready for his shift at the hospital. Emori was sitting on the kitchen counter, laughing at something Murphy had told her, and she waved brightly when Raven walked into the room. “Hey Roomie!”

Raven returned the greeting, “How’s it going?” She set down her shopping bags on the counter and began emptying the contents.

“Well, I have to work, so it could be better for me,” Murphy said sarcastically as he started packing his lunchbox for work.

“Poor baby,” Emori teased, and reached out to grab his hand before bringing it to her lips and kissing it softly.

“Do you girls have any plans tonight while I’m gone?” He asked, returning to his lunch.

Emori looked up at Raven with a question in her eyes and Raven found herself shaking her head. “I don’t have any plans at all,” Raven answered, “I’m free as a bird.”

Emori’s smile lit up her face as she answered, “John made some chili and cornbread. Do you want to watch a show and have some dinner?”

“Sure thing,” Raven told her, “let me just change my clothes and I’ll be right back out. Have a good night at work, Murphy! Don’t shoot anyone!” She called out over her shoulder as she walked away.

Murphy let out a sharp laugh, “They never let me have a gun, only a taser, for some reason they don’t think I’m qualified.” Murphy put emphasis on the world qualified, using his fingers to make air quotes. 

Raven continued walking but laughed to herself, feeling oddly comfortable enough to joke with him, “Yeah, I could see that.”

Murphy’s voice rang down the hall, “You can’t see my middle finger, Reyes, but I assure you, it’s raised just for you.”

Raven laughed to herself all the way into her bedroom. She couldn’t believe how much she was enjoying getting to know her two new housemates, or how she already felt so close to them. Sometimes she felt like they were hardly strangers at all, but old friends with whom she reconnected after years apart. She finished pulling on an oversized long sleeved shirt, and wondered what TV show Emori had in mind, before heading back to the kitchen. 

Murphy had already left for work and Emori was settled on the couch with a blanket over her lap and a steaming bowl of chili in hand when Raven found her. “You look comfortable,” she said with a laugh.

Emori smiled, “It’s casual Saturday, and comfort is the name of the game.”

“Thank goodness, I will never complain about comfort. Let me grab some food and we can get started.” Raven made her way into the kitchen and scooped out chili into a bowl, grabbed a glass and filled it with ice water, and padded through the dining room to get to the living room. 

Emori patted the cushion next to her in invitation, and Raven sat down and made herself comfortable, balancing her bowl and placing her glass on the side table next to the couch. “Do you want some of the blanket?” Emori asked, “It’s big enough for both of us.”

“Definitely,” Raven agreed and nestled back into the cushions and accepted the section of the fleece blanket that Emori offered to her.

“Alright, now that we’re all cozy, what do you want to watch? We just signed up for a few streaming services, and I’ve been dying to binge watch some good TV. John is great, but he doesn’t do well sitting still for long periods of time so he isn’t the best TV partner.”

Raven snorted in amusement at Emori’s spiel, and told her, “I’m pretty open for anything. Do you have something in mind?”

This was apparently the right answer because Emori positively started beaming and replied quickly, “Can we watch ER? It’s fifteen seasons and I’ve heard it’s the best medical show out there. There’s nothing I love more than picking apart a medical show for its inaccuracies, and I want to see how realistic it really is.”

“As one does, I suppose. Though I have no medical knowledge at all, so I don’t know how much help I’ll be. But sure, I’m not opposed. Though fifteen seasons? We’re going to be here forever.”

Emori arched an eyebrow as if issuing a challenge, “Is that a problem? What, you don’t want to submerge yourself in early nineties dramatic television with me for the foreseeable future?”

“Sounds delightful to me,” Raven snorted, “I would love nothing more, please teach me all the ways that this medical TV show is inaccurate.”

Emori laughed again and pressed play on the remote and the two women settled back and allowed themselves to be immersed in the world of Chicago’s inner city emergency room. 

Two and a half hours later, Emori turned the television off and started folding the blanket while Raven gathered up the dishes and headed towards the kitchen. In the kitchen Raven ran some hot water over the bowls and set them in the sink to soak, before heading back to where Emori was.

“Are you going to bed?” Emori asked, sitting back on the couch and tucking her feet underneath her.

“Not sure,” Raven answered, “I’m not especially tired. Why, did you have something in mind?”

“I just thought we could sit and talk a bit, unless you’re tired. I’m just wide awake right now for some reason, and I’m not ready to go to bed yet. John has been working nights for a while now, but I still have such a hard time sleeping alone. I know that sounds really silly, but once I got used to sleeping next to someone, being alone is really a struggle.”

“That’s not silly,” Raven answered quickly, “I mean, not that I know exactly what you’re going through, but I can imagine how hard that would be.”

Emori sighed and began fiddling with the edge of the blanket, “Thanks, it means a lot to hear you say that. I don’t have many close friends, so the loneliness can really be overwhelming. It’s been me and John against the world for so long, that sometimes I forget that I can lean on other people too.”

Raven didn’t have to think at all when she answered, “You can lean on me, if you want to, I mean. I’m happy to stay up and talk, I don’t have anywhere to be tomorrow.” She meant every word, which surprised her, but she felt a connection to this beautiful and kind woman. Raven couldn’t exactly make sense of how important Emori’s friendship already was to her, but she knew that the other woman was slowly becoming a more and more significant fixture in her life.

“You’re so sweet,” Emori said, her eyes softening subtly even though Raven noticed immediately. “How did you like the show? Do you want to keep watching it, or do we need to start another show?”

“I like it,” Raven answered immediately, “it’s got just enough of a balance between humor and drama for me, plus a young George Clooney is always a plus right?”

“Obviously,” Emori snickered. “Well good, I’m glad you like it. We can watch more tomorrow night, if you’re up for it.”

“Definitely. It’s nice having someone to spend time with,” Raven told her, “Clarke is probably my best friend in the world, but we worked such different hours, and then she spent a lot of time with Lexa once they got together. Not that I’m complaining of course. But still, this is nice.”

Emori ducked her head, as if she was embarrassed, and agreed softly, “Very nice, for sure.”

“So what do you want to talk about?” Raven changed the subject easily, allowing Emori an easy out. 

“Can we just...get to know each other?” Emori asked, almost hesitantly. 

Raven smiled, “Of course, where do you want to start?”

Emori thought for a second, then looked up and asked, “Favorite season?” 

“Summer, for sure.”

“I prefer spring,” Emori answered, “your turn.”

They went on for another hour, asking and answering questions and getting to know one another. Raven learned that one of Emori’s favorite hobbies was gardening, and that she was looking forward to starting a garden outside once the weather warmed up. Raven shared that she had been obsessed with space and the stars ever since she was a little girl. Emori admitted that she was a sucker for a good romantic comedy while Raven maintained that she would always pick a good sci-fi any day. 

“I think it’s probably time for bed,” Raven said when Emori yawned for the third time in as many minutes.

Emori nodded, in the midst of her yawn, and stood up from the couch. “Thanks for everything, Raven.”

“Of course. What are friends for?” Raven smiled at Emori and then headed for her bedroom.

When Raven finally fell into her bed, she felt an overwhelming sense of being exactly where she was supposed to be. As she cuddled around her pillows, she fell asleep grateful for new friends and dramatic medical television, and found she couldn’t wait to spend more time with Emori.

  
  


Raven woke up absurdly early the next morning, given how late she had stayed up talking with Emori the night before. She threw her legs over the side of the bed, threw on a sweatshirt, and pulled her hair up into a ponytail. 

When she stumbled into the kitchen, she was pleasantly surprised to smell coffee brewing and to hear the clatter of pots and pans. “Morning,” she called out as she sat down at the table.

Murphy turned around from where he stood at the stove and grinned, waving his spatula in greeting. “How was the night?”

“It was great. We watched three episodes of ER and then sat up and talked. We went to bed way too late, but it was a good time,” Raven explained.

“That’s great,” Murphy told her earnestly, “I’m glad she has someone here for her, the nights can be really hard for her while I’m working. This is the best job I’ve had though, so I have to keep it.”

“I get it,” Raven told him, “having a job that works for you and your situation is important. Trust me.”

“But really,” Murphy continued, “it means so much to us that you’re here. We really are happy that this has worked so well.”

Murphy’s tone was so sincere that it made Raven stop and stare for just a second. She finally found her words, and answered simply, “I’m happy to be here. Emori is great.”

The look of pure love and adoration on Murphy’s face made Raven feel slightly envious, which surprised her. She brushed it off, not wanting to delve any further into her emotions. “What are you making?” she asked, desperate for a change in the subject.

“Pancakes, sausage, and eggs,” Murphy told her, turning back to the stove top. “I try to make sure I make extras on the weekend, that way we have it during the week, it helps Emori out and plus she loves my breakfast.”

“That’s so sweet,” Raven told him, and she meant it. She couldn’t remember ever having a boyfriend make her breakfast, especially after he had been working all night.

Emori sleepily walked into the kitchen at that moment, and she kissed John on the cheek sweetly before opening the fridge and pouring a glass of orange juice. She sat down next to Raven at the table and gave a bleary smile, “It’s too early,” she groaned before taking a long drink of her juice.

Raven chuckled at the other woman’s dramatics and glanced back at Murphy who was watching the exchange with a small grin. 

“Emori is not a morning person,” he said by way of explanation.

“I had no idea,” Raven replied with mock seriousness.

“No ganging up on me,” Emori pouted, glaring at them both before she started laughing herself.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Murphy promised with a wink.

Raven smiled at the obvious love and care between her two new housemates, and ducked her head back down to take a long drink from her coffee mug. She thought this house and these people were something she could get used to.

“Want to watch more ER tonight?” Emori asked when Murphy had once again returned his attention to the food.

“Sure. Murphy works again tonight?”

Emori’s eyes looked a little sad as she answered, “Yeah. But he’s off for two nights after that.”

“Well that’s something,” Raven told her. “What time were you thinking for the show?”

“Maybe around 9?”

Raven shrugged, “Sounds good to me, I just need to do some laundry today and other than that my plan was just to sit around and relax. Work starts early tomorrow so I want to get as much done today.”

Emori nodded, “I get that.”

Murphy made his way to the table and set down a plate in front of Emori with a flourish, “Breakfast is served.”

Emori smiled up at him and accepted the gentle kiss he leaned down to place on her lips.

“You two are adorable,” Raven remarked with a snort, “How long did you say you had been together again?”

“For about five years,” Emori answered proudly, “it was pretty much love at first back alley brawl.”

Murphy snorted into his coffee cup and Raven gasped, “Explain. You have to explain that one.”

“Do you want some breakfast?” Murphy asked, “This story might take a while and you’re going to want to keep your strength up.”

Raven nodded at him and then turned her attention back to Emori, “Explain.”

Emori took a bite of her breakfast, chewed, and then began, “Well, John wasn’t always the marshmallow that he is now, back in the day he-”

“Hey!” Murphy cut her off with an undignified noise, “Did you just call me a marshmallow? I’m offended.”

“You’ll be okay,” Emori stuck her tongue out at him. “Now where was I? Oh, right. So back in the day when John was younger and more agile, he was sort of the ringleader of his little gang of hooligan boys who thought they were tough shit.”

“Hooligans?” Murphy cut in dryly.

“Would you let me tell the story?” Emori fussed at him.

Murphy held up his hands in mock surrender, and Raven laughed at the exchange.

“As I was saying, John was the ringleader, and one day he had gone after another little gang of neighborhood boys, and they were a lot tougher than he realized. I showed up, well my brother and I, and we took on the other group of boys, and saved John here from getting his gorgeous face all sliced up.”

Murphy hadn’t stopped rolling his eyes the entire time Emori spoke, but they were full of a softness that made Raven smile to herself.

“And I am thankful everyday that this tough girl was in the right place at the right time,” Murphy told Emori, coming over and kissing her on the top of her head. Emori leaned into him and closed her eyes. 

“And we got married six months ago,” Emori continued, “after we finally settled down and stopped our wily brawling ways.”

“That’s quite a story,” Raven told them, taking another sip of her coffee.

“It’s a good one,” Murphy agreed, and handed Raven her breakfast plate.

“You don’t have to keep feeding me,” Raven told him, feeling guilty that he had put so much effort into making food for her when she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself.

Murphy scoffed, “As if, I can’t make food and not feed everyone around me, that’s just not good manners. It’s really okay, and if you still feel bad, then consider it payment for being so kind to Emori last night.”

“I guess I can live with that,” Raven conceded, and took a bite of her food. “Holy shit! This is amazing!”

Murphy gave her the most impressive shit eating grin she had ever seen, and went back to his work in the kitchen.

Raven spent the rest of the day doing mostly boring but essential tasks such as laundry and light cleaning. She got everything organized for her work week, and went to the store to buy groceries. She met Clarke and Lexa for a quick lunch and was thrilled to see that they seemed even closer and more in love after a week of living together. When Clarke and Lexa asked how things were going at the house, Raven couldn’t help but rave about how incredible Emori and Murphy were and how much she loved living in their house.

After Murphy had left for work, Emori knocked on Raven’s door, inviting her to the living room to watch more ER. They watched another two episodes before it got late enough that they both had to get to bed in order to be ready for work the next day. 

Monday Raven spent the day at the dealership working on a steady stream of cars and texting Emori intermittently when she had free moments. They had exchanged numbers before she had ever moved in, in case of emergency, but had only started texting each other in the last few days. Raven found herself smiling whenever Emori texted her, as the other woman was forever sending funny memes and other little pick me ups between her surgery cases. The sound of her phone’s notification alarm going off filled Raven with a giddy sort of excitement each time.

At dinner that night, Murphy, who was finally off work served a spectacular dinner of completely from scratch chicken pot pie. The three of them sat around the table cracking jokes and listening to Emori’s horror stories from work.

Murphy turned slightly green as Emori talked about surgical cases in vivid graphic detail, but Raven found she was really interested, especially when Emori started talking about the robotic surgeries on which she assisted. 

“You mean they can take whole organs out and they only make a few small holes?” Raven asked, fascinated.

“Yeah, it’s a much less invasive way to do it,” Emori told her, “and the patients recover so much faster. Today we took out this appendix that was infected. It was so full of pus that it almost didn’t come out in one piece.”

“That’s enough,” Murphy told them, looking fairly nauseated now, “from now on, no use of the word ‘pus’ at the dinner table!”

Raven and Emori looked at each other and burst out laughing. 

“Sorry, John,” Emori told him in between her peals of laughter, “from now on I’ll tell Raven all of my graphic work stories.”

“Oh thank goodness,” Murphy breathed out and opened her eyes towards the ceiling.

Raven leaned in conspiratorially, and mocked whispered, “I can’t wait to hear all of your gross tales!”

Murphy rolled his eyes at their laughter, but he smiled warmly at Emori, as if he was pleased to see her so happy.

After dinner, Emori suggested they play a game of Trivial Pursuit, which Raven soundly beat everyone at, much to Murphy’s irritation. Emori knew he was extremely competitive, but neither of them expected Raven to be just as, if not more, hell bent on winning. Three hours later, the game was finally over, and Raven was exhausted from her workday and she stood up from the table with an apologetic look.

“Goodnight, guys,” she called out as she headed into the bathroom to brush her teeth and get ready for bed. “I’ll see you all tomorrow when I’m not dead on my feet.”

Emori and Murphy had migrated from the table where they had played to the couch where they were currently intertwined and whispering softly. They both acknowledged her with head nods and went back to their conversation. 

Raven smiled slightly at them as she made her way to her bedroom, happy they were able to finally have a night together. 

When Raven finally collapsed under her covers, she pulled her phone out and began scrolling mindlessly through social media, while texting Clarke who hadn’t answered. Raven figured Clarke was probably asleep and after several minutes of finding nothing interesting she selected a playlist of instrumental music and placed her phone on the nightstand. Before she could spend too much time thinking about anything she was sound asleep.

Raven woke up with a start and checked her watch only to realize she had only been asleep for an hour and a half. She figured she should at least get up and use the bathroom and maybe grab a bottle of water while she was awake. She climbed out of bed and threw a sweatshirt over her tank top in case she ran into someone in the hallway, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

When she opened her bedroom door, Raven was relieved to see that the house was dark and quiet, and she shut the door gently behind her so she didn’t wake Murphy or Emori. Their bedroom door, directly across from hers, was closed as well with no light spilling out from underneath. She tip-toed down the hallway and slid into the bathroom, easing the door closed before turning on the light. She went to the bathroom, washed her hands, and decided she didn’t need a drink after all and would head back to her room, and hopefully be able to fall right back to sleep.

As she stepped into the hallway, again walking as quietly as she could, she stopped dead when she heard a noise she didn’t recognize. Raven cocked her head as she tried to pinpoint the noise, trying to decipher if it was something she needed to be concerned about. After a few seconds of listening intently Raven suddenly and without question understood exactly what she was hearing, but she found herself rooted to the spot unable to convince her feet to carry her back to her bedroom. 

Soft, breathy moans were coming from behind the master bedroom door, and Raven felt her cheeks flood with heat. She knew she shouldn’t still be standing her, that she needed to get out of this hallway and stop listening to her new housemates - her new friends -  _ have sex _ . But her brain and her legs refused to cooperate, and when she heard Emori’s voice change from nonsensical moaning to keening cries of “Oh yes, John” and “right  _ there _ ” and “I’m gonna come” she knew she had to move fast.

As soon as Raven closed the bedroom door behind her, she threw herself into her bed and settled under the covers. “Shit, shit, shit, shit,” she cried, “Damn it, Raven! You did not just stand in the hallway and listen to your house mates have sex! What the fuck?”

She tried to settle her breathing, and tried to ignore the warmth that was spreading down from her lower abdomen. “Damn it,” she gritted her teeth in frustration, “what the hell? This cannot be happening.” She squeezed her eyes shut and rolled onto her side, reasoning with herself that it had been  _ months _ since she had gotten laid, and even longer since she had had a boyfriend, and that  _ had  _ to be why her stupid fucking body was betraying her like this. “I’m not going to be able to look them in the eyes in the morning,” she whispered miserably to herself, before sleep finally claimed her. 

  
  
  
  



	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emori and Raven get closer, and Murphy gets a little jealous.

_ “And I build each one of my days out of hope, and I give that hope your name.” _

Raven’s alarm went off the next morning, and she immediately flushed as the events of the previous night came rushing back. On a normal day she would have gotten up and showered quickly in order to have breakfast with Murphy and Emori, but as today was decidedly  _ not  _ a normal day she pulled the blankets up and rolled over. She watched the minutes tick by on her phone’s screen, and when she had just enough time to take a shower and rush out the door, she got out of bed. After she had dressed, she rushed out of the house with a short explanation of her lateness, and then started her work day extraordinarily hungry since she had neglected breakfast on her way out the door.

While she worked Raven thought. She wasn’t a stranger to roommate sex shenangians (she had lived with Clarke after all) but something about hearing Murphy and Emori was different. Hell if she knew what it was though, and that was the kicker she supposed. When Raven took her first break of the morning she was unsurprised to see a text message from Emori asking if she was okay. Raven grinned as she felt a flicker of happiness erupt in her chest at the sight of Emori’s name on her phone. After typing out a quick noncommittal response Raven pocketed her phone and went back to work.

After her shift was over, Raven considered bugging Clarke and Lexa, in order to keep from having to go home. In the end though, she decided she was being ridiculous and drove home. 

The house was blessedly quiet when Raven walked through the front door, and after receiving no response she wandered into the kitchen. A handwritten note on the counter explained that Emori and Murphy had gone out to dinner.  _ Well that solves one problem,  _ Raven thought to herself with a light grimace. 

She went to bed early, with every intention of being asleep well before her roommates returned home.

Raven continued her days in the same pattern, waiting until the last minute to leave and making excuses to stay in her room or going to sleep early, but after three days her luck had run out. Emori finally cornered her in the entry way as Raven was preparing to leave for work, clear frustration on her face.

“Did I do something wrong?” Emori asked, the hurt in her words so evident that it made Raven’s guilt magnify tenfold.

“What do you mean?” Raven’s voice wavered.

“You’ve barely been around,” Emori pointed out, “John and I have both noticed it lately. I know we don’t know each other that well, and you don’t owe us anything, but you seem really distant lately. I just want to make sure I didn’t do anything to make you uncomfortable.”

Raven felt her face burn hot with shame, and she ducked her head hoping her face wouldn’t give her away. “I’ve just been really busy,” Raven lied, and hated herself even more for it. “I’m sorry, but it’s nothing you did.”

Emori looked down at the floor, but didn’t do anything to stop Raven from walking through the door.

Raven spent the entire day at work trying to keep her mind off of Emori and how damn sad she had looked. The noticeable absence of Emori’s text messages throughout the day made Raven irritable and short with her coworkers and distracted her while she was under cars which was dangerous at best. She tried not to dwell too much on why Emori’s lack of communication affected her so deeply, because while they didn’t know each other very well Raven felt an undeniable closeness to her new friend.

But Raven still felt so guilty about what she had heard, and more importantly, how it had made her feel. She shook her head fiercely at the thoughts that had begun to invade her mind, and tried to refocus on her work.

By the time work was over and she parked her car outside the house, Raven was completely exhausted mentally and emotionally. All she wanted to do was to go inside, avoid her house mates, and crawl into bed. But judging by the two cars parked outside, Raven knew she wouldn’t be getting away with avoiding anyone that easily. She knew that she had to talk to Murphy and Emori eventually, but she didn’t know what to say.

As she fit her key into the door and walked inside, Raven took a deep steadying breath and stepped inside the house. She immediately heard conversation and soft laughter coming from the kitchen and smiled involuntarily. She couldn’t help the surge of warmth that flooded through her chest at the feeling of  _ home _ she felt with these people, in this house. Raven tried not to dwell on what the depth of her feelings meant. She slipped her shoes off at the door and walked into the house.

At the entrance to the kitchen, both Emori and Murphy looked up simultaneously. Emori looked cautious, as if she was worried about what Raven’s reaction would be. Murphy on the other hand, looked  _ pissed _ , and that surprised Raven enough that she stopped in her tracks. 

“I’m sorry,” Raven began, trying to get the words out before she lost her nerve. She wrung her hands and stared at the floor, feeling like her guilt might just swallow her completely. “I have been avoiding you both. Emori you were right,” Raven confessed, her eyes still downcast, “god this is embarrassing.” Raven trailed off, unsure how to continue.

“It’s okay,” Emori said softly, stepping closer to Raven and smiling reassuringly.

Raven exhaled loudly, and finally admitted, “The other night, I woke up to go to the bathroom, and I kind of, well I heard something that wasn’t meant for me to hear.” She looked up expectantly, hoping that Emori and Murphy would get the hint and she would be spared the indignity of actually admitting that she had heard her housemates have sex.

“Spit it out,” Murphy implored, his voice not angry necessarily, but not exactly kind either. Raven took in the way he had placed himself around Emori’s body and realized that he was protecting her from whatever hurt she was experiencing.

“I heard you guys having sex the other night,” Raven explained in one fluid breath. 

She didn’t know what exactly she had been expecting to hear, but Murphy’s cackling laughter and Emori’s more subdued chuckles was not it. She looked up and cocked her head in confusion. “You’re not embarrassed? Or upset?”

Murphy had finally stopped laughing enough to answer her, “Why would that bother us? We have sex, a lot actually. It’s just who we are, it’s not the end of the world that someone else heard. God knows it wouldn’t be the first time.”

“John!” Emori cried out in mock outrage, gently punching him in his arm, “you’re making us sound like sex crazed monsters.”

Raven couldn’t help but chuckle at the exchange between the two, and her overwhelming relief in the fact that they weren’t upset with her.

“We’re all adults here,” Murphy said by way of explanation, “though I suppose we can try to keep it down, if it bothers you.”

Raven spoke up immediately, “No need! I just felt bad and didn’t want to upset you two.”

Emori walked up to Raven and without warning threw her arms around the other girl and hugged her. “Don’t worry about any of that. We like having you as a housemate, and if something bothers you again, then tell us for crying out loud. Communication is key, right? We still have a lot of ER to watch, so I can’t have you disappearing on me.”

Raven relaxed into the hug, feeling ridiculous for being such a disaster, but also feeling grateful to have found such a friend. She tried to ignore the niggling part of her brain that wanted her to explore  _ why  _ she had been so freaked out, but she packed it down and focused on how good Emori’s arms felt around her. __

The next afternoon when she came home from work, Raven laughed out loud when she saw the pair of noise canceling headphones at what had become “her spot” at the dining room table. The note sitting nearby made Raven burst into laughter as she read it.

_ Now you can tune us out when we get a little too loud. _

The smiley face that Emori had drawn at the end of the note made Raven laugh even harder and she wondered why she had ever been worried about Emori or Murphy being upset with her.

~~~~

By the time October had rolled around, and Murphy and Emori had been a fixture in Raven’s life for a month, Raven had completely settled into her new routine. She and Emori had made it through seasons one and two of ER, and Raven found herself hooked although she was just as fascinated by Emori’s reactions to each episode they watched. True to her word, Emori had delighted in picking apart any medical inaccuracies, all in good fun of course. Raven enjoyed the emotionality of the characters, and the mechanical part of her brain was amused by the “ancient” technology of the early nineties.

Raven ate better than she ever had before, and rarely had to worry about cooking her own dinner or what to pack for lunch because Murphy always had the house fully stocked with leftovers. Murphy was often in the kitchen, a cookbook or his own notebook open in front of him as he tested new recipes. More often than not, Raven came home to Murphy standing in the kitchen wearing one of his many novelty aprons, and asking her to sample something he was working on.

Despite Murphy’s odd schedule, he and Emori had made it a priority to spend time together and Raven was often involved in dinner conversations or board game competitions. She felt like she had a real family for the first time in her life.

One night while Murphy was at work Raven and Emori were in the middle of an episode of ER, tearing into a giant bowl of popcorn, when Emori paused the TV and asked tentatively, “Raven, can I ask you something?”

Raven turned and looked at Emori curiously, “Sure. What’s up?

“What happened to your leg?” Emori motioned to the brace encircling Raven’s left leg, as she chewed on her bottom lip.

Raven stilled for a moment, more because she was surprised her leg hadn’t been brought up before than because she was upset Emori had asked. 

“It’s okay, you don’t have to answer me,” Emori said quickly, “It’s none of my business, I’m sorry.”

“Emori, it’s fine,” Raven interrupted, placing a hand on the other woman’s knee to settle her, “I don’t mind talking about it, I was just surprised I haven't already.”

Emori looked up at Raven, and smiled tentatively, “I didn’t want to pry.”

“It’s all good,” Raven reassured her with a wave of her hand, “long story short, it was a car accident.”

Emori looks shocked, and it’s several seconds before she finally says, “A car accident?”

“I had finished my senior year of high school, on top of my life. I had a shitty home life with my mom, who was an alcoholic, but I had this great physics teacher, Mr. Sinclair, and he took a chance on me. He knew my dream job was to be an aerospace engineer, I’ve always been obsessed with space and rockets, and he did everything he could to help me get a full scholarship. I never could have afforded college without his help. Anyway, he helped me to get an academic scholarship to my dream school, with my dream program. I had been accepted and everything was great, and then the accident happened, and it all fell apart.”

Emori leaned forward and put her hand over Raven’s hand, and whispered, “I’m so sorry.”

Raven smiled and continued, “It’s okay. It was a long time ago. Anyway, I was on my way to an end of summer party that some of my friends were throwing. Clarke was in the car with me, she was driving actually. A deer jumped right into the path of the car, and she couldn’t avoid it. Nothing anyone could have done differently, it was just a freak accident. Clarke hit her head pretty bad, and she ended up with a nasty concussion and several staples in her head, but I wasn’t so lucky. My left leg got pinned when the car crashed and I ended up with some nerve damage. Clarke’s mom, Abby, is a surgeon, and she was able to oversee my surgery which preserved my ability to walk. But I still have permanent nerve damage and the brace is the only thing that allows me to get around without crutches.”

Emori’s face had drained of all color, and she swallowed hard before she said, “Shit, Raven. I am so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Raven told her again, “Really. I’m fine. I learned to live with it a long time ago.”

“Does it hurt?”

“Honestly? Yes, it does from time to time, especially if I use it too much and don’t rest. Massage helps a lot, so I learned some techniques. The worst part of the whole thing wasn’t my leg, it was my scholarship.”

“What happened?” Emori was literally on the edge of her seat now, and if it hadn’t been such a serious conversation, Raven might have laughed.

Raven shrugged, the old memories still painful from time to time. “I was in the hospital for a while, and I couldn’t handle the school load at the time, so they gave my spot away. By the time I was able to get back to school I did the community college route. Clarke went with me too, before she transferred out to a bigger school to keep going. I finished trade school and got a job fixing cars, which isn’t my dream job, but I’m financially independent. That and I can walk, so I feel like I can’t complain too much.”

Emori threw herself into Raven’s arms, which shocked Raven, but she leaned in and returned the hug without thinking. “I’m so sorry that happened to you,” Emori whispered, her breath tickling Raven’s ear.

“It’s really okay, I promise. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and all that, right?” 

Emori returned to her original seat, and looked curiously at Raven before she brought her left hand up into her lap and motioned to it. “I’d like to tell you what happened to me.”

Raven was curious to know what the story was with Emori’s constantly wrapped hand, and had been for some time. Much like Emori had also said, Raven had never felt comfortable enough asking either.

Emori pulled off her hand covering, and laid her hand across her lap, before she raised her face almost defiantly at Raven as if she dared her to say something. 

Raven said nothing, but took in the appearance of Emori’s hand. Her thumb and pinky looked unexceptional, but there was a cleft in the middle of her hand where her middle finger should have been, and her pointer and ring fingers were thicker and slightly elongated. When Raven looked back up at Emori’s face she was shocked to see how much  _ pain _ was flashing across her features.

When Emori went to cover her hand again, Raven reached out and placed one of her own hands on Emori’s. “You don’t need to cover it,” Raven told her quietly, “I think it makes you strong.”

Emori sniffled, and swiped at the tears that were threatening to spill out. “It’s a congenital birth defect. It has some long and complicated name, but it’s basically a cleft hand. I’m lucky, I guess, in that it’s only one hand. Also, aside from being an eyesore it doesn’t affect my ability to do most anything, with some minor modifications from time to time. Apparently when I was born, my birth mother decided she didn’t want an imperfect baby, and gave me up for adoption. I never knew my biological parents. So I was placed into foster care pretty much right away, and I was with the same family for most of my childhood. They also fostered Otan, who I consider my brother even though we aren’t biologically related. When I was nine my foster mom got sick, and I was too much of a burden, so they sent me back. After that I spent years bouncing around from foster homes to group homes. And no one ever looked at my hand like it was normal, until I met John. And now you.”

Raven felt her breath catch, and she looked up at Emori’s face, at the shame and the hurt and the little lost girl inside this amazing woman, and she felt closer to Emori than she had to anyone else in her life. Raven opened her arms to offer another hug to Emori, and held her tight. Emori cried into Raven’s embrace, trusting that Emori could feel how much her friendship meant.

Keys jangling and the door squeaking open woke Raven with a start. She jerked awake, confused, and looked at her surroundings. Her neck was stiff and her back ached, and she realized she had fallen asleep on the couch, her head on Emori’s shoulder. Raven sat up slowly and stretched, trying not to wake Emori.

“Mori?” Murphy called, his voice slightly confused as he walked into the living room.

Raven placed a finger to her lips as he walked into the room, motioning to Emori’s still sleeping form. “We fell asleep last night,” Raven said by way of explanation, “while we were watching TV.”

Murphy’s face flashed with a look Raven couldn’t quite place. He shook it off quickly, however, and said, “Sounds like a good night, then.”

Raven stood up gently from the couch, hissing quietly from the ache in her leg. “How was your night?” Raven asked as she made her way to the kitchen.

“Slow,” Murphy answered, taking a seat at the table and beginning to shed some of his gear from work, “which isn’t a bad thing, trust me, but it does make the night seem like it will never end.”

Raven nodded, “That makes sense. Coffee?”

“Please.”

Raven went to work, measuring the coffee and going through the familiar motions. There was a tension in the room that Raven couldn’t put her finger on, but she tried to ignore it, as she waited for the coffee to brew. She had not had a bad experience with Murphy, far from it in fact, but there was an edginess to him that she couldn’t always read. Before she could fall any deeper into the rabbit hole of her thoughts, Emori padded into the room.

“Good morning, John!” she said her voice still husky from sleep. She walked up to Murphy and kissed him gently before she enveloped him in a hug. When she stood back up she looked at Raven and grinned sheepishly, “Sorry for falling asleep on you last night.”

“It’s totally fine,” Raven assured her, “Nice bed head, by the way.”

Emori brought her hand up to smooth out the wild strands, and Murphy suddenly spoke up, “Emori, your hand.”

Emori looked at her uncovered left hand and shrugged, “I told Raven about it last night, it’s okay, she’s cool.”

Murphy didn’t answer but pressed his lips together, as if he had something to say but wasn’t sure if he should. Raven felt the tension escalate and wondered if she should head to her room and leave Murphy and Emori to their morning together. 

If Emori noticed anything strange about Murphy’s behavior, she didn’t say anything, instead moving around the kitchen grabbing dishes and preparing for breakfast. Emori chattered on about trivial topics, seemingly happy just to be near Murphy after a night apart. 

Raven felt a flutter in her chest at the sight of the love her roommates shared, and she tried to ignore the meaning of the inadvertent reaction. “I’m going to grab a shower,” Raven said, and quickly exited the room without stopping to hear if either Murphy or Emori responded. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter quote is from the song "Overlap" by Ani DiFranco
> 
> I hope everyone enjoys! I am loving the comments, kudos, etc.
> 
> And this story wouldn't exist without northernxstories, forever grateful for her help.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something is up with Murphy and Emori, everyone starts to bond more and more, and what happens when you add a little alcohol to a movie night?

_ “We’ve opened our eyes and it’s changing the view.” _

As the weeks went on, Raven looked increasingly forward to her TV nights with Emori. The two had become closer, and despite the fact that they’d only known each other a short time, Raven easily considered Emori one of her best friends. While Raven often couldn’t believe how much she had bonded with Emori, she nonetheless saw their friendship on the same level with Clarke, though she would never admit this to the blonde. 

When they were apart, they’d text constantly, little words of encouragement, funny memes or stupid videos just because they knew the other would enjoy it. Raven thought of Emori before anyone else when she saw something that made her laugh, and she found herself grinning broadly whenever Emori’s name flashed across her phone’s screen.

And they grew closer in more heartfelt ways as well. Emori spent a night crying in Raven’s arms as she recounted the moment when one of her foster mothers had yelled in a fit of rage that Emori was “a freak whose mother threw her away like garbage,” and Emori had tried desperately not to believe her until she was old enough to read it in her own file. On another night, Raven told Emori about how after her accident, her own mother was too drunk to even realize Raven had been injured until almost twelve hours later and that it had in fact been Clarke’s mother, Abby, who had been holding her hand when Raven woke up from surgery.

And despite the pain of their backgrounds, they laughed a lot. Emori delighted in Raven’s stories of her high school years with Clarke and their other friends and Raven felt herself smile every time Emori shared a tale of her and Murphy’s early relationship. 

Raven had never been a big believer in true love and all that garbage - she hadn’t exactly been the recipient of any truly healthy relationships. Her first real relationship, with her childhood best friend Finn, had dissolved abruptly when she had realized that he was more interested in then New Girl, Clarke Griffin. He had conveniently forgotten to tell Clarke he had a longtime (for high school anyway) girlfriend, when he had started flirting shamelessly with her. Thankfully once Clarke realized the reality of the situation she rejected Finn so fast and so publicly he never dared try again, and when Clarke sought out Raven to apologize their friendship began in earnest. Raven’s only other relationships were short lived and neither of them had ended on much better terms, so she had relegated herself to the belief that love wasn’t something she was meant to find.

However, when she listened to Emori recount her life and past with Murphy, Raven found herself happy for her friend. She couldn’t imagine anyone who deserved to be truly loved and revered more than Emori, and she was pleased to see that true love seemed to have worked out for her and Murphy. 

In late October, Raven got home later than usual as she had stopped and met Clarke and Lexa for drinks at a restaurant close to their townhouse. She had texted Emori to let her know that she would be late, but hadn’t gotten a response yet which wasn’t exactly unheard of, but did make Raven wonder if everything was okay.

When she got home and opened the garage door, she noticed both Murphy and Emori were home, which made her smile automatically. 

“I’m home!” Raven called out as she walked in the front door, and slipped her shoes off before she hung her jacket up on the rack on the wall. She was stunned to hear harsh whispers that stopped as soon as she had opened the door. “What the hell?” she muttered under her breath, before walking further into the house. 

It was immediately evident from Emori and Murphy’s body language, Murphy’s narrowed eyes and Emori’s clenched fists, that they had been arguing about something before she came in. The idea of them fighting made her feel mildly nauseous. She had never even heard them raise their voices to each other, much less argue. Logically, Raven knew couples fought, that was a normal part of relationships, but witnessing it for the first time was so uncomfortable that it made her want to go hide under her bed like a small child. 

Raven surveyed the scene in the kitchen with a cagey energy that made her heart beat even faster, and her first thought was to make sure Emori was okay. The other woman looked upset, but she was definitely holding her own, and Raven relaxed at that observation. Since she knew Emori was safe, there was no reason to continue to stand in the kitchen awkwardly and she continued on to her bedroom. Watching her housemates fight ranked only slightly higher than getting a root canal on her list of things that sounded fun.

For the first night in a long time, Raven stayed in her room for the majority of the night, only coming out to use the bathroom. When she heard agitated whispers and bitter words from behind Murphy and Emori’s closed door, she tried not to wonder about what was causing so much strife. The nagging thought that she could be at fault whirled through her mind, but try as she might, Raven could not quiet the disconcerting thoughts.

Murphy and Emori remained at odds in the days after Raven came home to witness their fight, moving through the house with an edgy energy, and speaking to each other only in short digs when they spoke at all.

Raven found herself desperately missing Emori’s normal humor and support during the day as well, as she had become quieter and more withdrawn in their phone conversations over the following days. The lack of communication from Emori ate at Raven as the days went on, but she tried not to dwell too much on  _ why  _ she was so affected, choosing instead to worry over whether Emori and Murphy would be able to patch things up. 

When Murphy started getting ready to work on his next scheduled night, Raven stayed in her room, intent on allowing them the time and space they needed to repair whatever was obviously causing so much conflict. She laid on her bed, listening to music and scrolling mindlessly through social media before a text from Emori flashed across her screen. 

_ TV time? I’m making popcorn. I’ve missed you. _

Raven felt her heart flutter with, what exactly? Happiness? Relief? Affection? She shook her head in an attempt to clear the confusing thoughts, and replied back with a quick affirmative answer before rolling off her bed and heading out to see Emori. 

They watched ER like normal, commenting on the craziness of the cases and guessing which doctors would sleep together next. But Raven could tell that Emori wasn’t her usually vivacious self, still the reserved version she had been for days. She spent most of the episode biting her bottom lip or fidgeting with the drawstring on her pajamas pants, her anxiety palpable. Raven half paid attention, as they started a new episode, because she was too busy worrying about why Emori wasn’t her normal self. Finally she pressed pause on the remote and turned to look at her friend. “Is everything alright? You’re worrying me a little bit.”

Emori turned to her and plastered on a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Totally fine, John and I are going through some stuff right now, but it’s all going to be okay. Can we get back to the show? I want to finish this episode before it gets too much later.”

Raven didn’t have a choice but to nod her head and turn back to the television. She hoped Emori would feel comfortable enough to open up to her at some point. “Okay, well I’m here if you ever need to talk.”

The smallest duck of Emori’s head was the only acknowledgement Raven got, and she supposed she was going to have to accept that.

Within the next week, the situation at the house increasingly stabilized. Emori made an active effort to initiate group activities for the three of them to do whenever Murphy was off work, and while Raven enjoyed spending time with both Murphy and Emori she felt like she spent the majority of the time walking on eggshells. She was so afraid that her presence was causing some sort of rift between Murphy and Emori, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if that were the case. No matter how worried she was about causing a problem in her housemates’ relationship, Raven couldn’t deny she enjoyed the time she spent getting to know them both.

They played games, more board games than Raven had ever played in her life, they decorated for Halloween, and they spent hours talking. Murphy and Raven began to bond when he realized her childhood spent with an alcoholic parent greatly mirrored her own. Murphy began to open up to Raven, and as he did and they subsequently grew closer, tensions between him and Emori seemed to die down almost completely. This had to be a coincidence but it was still a noticeable change.

They celebrated Halloween by handing out candy to neighborhood children while Murphy baked Halloween treats and Raven selected the holiday music that she played for trick-or-treaters. Emori glowed with a level of happiness that Raven had not seen on her face for a long time, and Raven began to relax, content in the security of her new friends. They finished Halloween night by watching a scary movie that Murphy picked because he loved horror movies. Raven laughed as she watched Emori curled up in Murphy’s embrace, filtering the movie through her fingers as she insisted on watching the movie with her hands in front of her face. And when they began to snuggle closer, ignoring the movie completely, Raven smiled to herself, feeling satisfied that her friends had worked out whatever it was that had come between them. 

When Raven made her way to her bedroom that night after the movie, she grinned to herself when she heard Murphy and Emori giggling from behind their closed bedroom door. She fell asleep, headphones on, and a sense of contentment she hadn’t felt in far too long.

The week before Thanksgiving was complete chaos. Murphy had decided to host their first real Thanksgiving at the house, inviting friends and found family who didn’t have anywhere else to go. They had of course invited Raven, and while she hated to decline, she had already been invited to Abby’s house with Lexa and Clarke. Since she hadn’t spent as much time with Clarke as she was used to, Raven wanted to go and spend the holiday with her friend. Emori and Murphy had understood, but reiterated that she was welcome to their celebration if plans changed.

Murphy spent the week in a tailspin, planning menus and writing shopping lists and deciding which dishes would be for which food items. Raven felt even worse about missing his Thanksgiving after she watched all the work he had put into it. Emori and Raven worked together to deep clean the house, laughing and cracking jokes as they worked. 

After the last day of work before Thanksgiving, Raven came home from work exhausted and wanted nothing more than to kick back with her friends and roommates. Emori walked through the door slightly behind Raven, and the look on her face matched how Raven felt. 

“So many surgeries this week!” Emori told them with annoyance, “Who wants to be operated on the week of Thanksgiving?”

“I’ll pass,” Murphy said from his place on the couch where he was laid out scrolling through his phone.

“Agreed,” Raven answered and pushed Murphy’s feet off the end of the couch and threw herself down in the same spot.

“Ass,” Murphy sniped, before returning to his phone. 

Emori sat in the armchair in the corner of the room and watched the scene with a smile on her face. “Let’s do something fun tonight,” she suggested.

Raven was immediately interested, because anything that wasn’t preparing for Thanksgiving sounded like heaven at this point. “Sure! What are you thinking?”

Emori’s face lit up, and she answered immediately, “Scrabble? Or maybe Monopoly?”

“No board games!” Murphy and Raven cried out in perfect synchronicity.

Emori looked put out for a second, and then broke into laughter. “Yeah, I guess I do like to play a lot of games.”

Murphy’s sardonic reply of, “No shit, Sherlock,” made Emori cackle even louder.

“Any other ideas?” Emori asked, holding her sides as she tried to catch her breath.

“How much alcohol do we have here?” Raven asked, “I could go for a drink, or maybe several.”

“Oh I definitely have alcohol,” Murphy replied, sitting up and looking exceptionally interested.

“I’m not a huge drinker,” Emori told Raven, “but I’m game if John can mix me some stuff I like.”

“I got you ‘Mori,'' Murphy answered immediately, using his nickname for Emori that always made Raven feel a little warm inside. Another fact about which she tried desperately hard not to think too deeply. 

“Let’s do it then!” Raven agreed, “Oh shit, we should watch something too, make a drinking game out of it!”

Murphy took one look at Raven, grinned, and they shouted together, “Harry Potter marathon!”

Emori dropped her head in her hands and laughed again, “You two and your Harry Potter obsession. This is going to be a long night.”

An hour later, and after Harry Potter had finally made his way to Hogwarts, Raven was well on her way to being drunker than she had been in quite a while. She was sitting on the couch tucked in on Emori’s left side, while Murphy was nestled into Emori’s right side. The three had been giggling and taking shots during the movie, and Raven felt the warmth from the alcohol radiating down to her core. She couldn’t remember being happier or feeling safer than she did with her two new friends. Murphy kept cracking jokes about the movie with her, since he knew she loved the books and movies as much as him. Emori asked a different question every five minutes it seemed because she had never seen one of the movies all the way through. 

During the flying lesson scene, Murphy leaned forward toward the television and proclaimed, “I love this part, everyone be quiet.”

Emori rolled her eyes and turned so she was facing Raven, “Why would anyone want to ride on a broomstick? That just sounds uncomfortable. Doesn’t that sound terrible, Raven? I mean, I just -”

Raven unsteadily placed a finger on Emori’s lips, and shushed her, loudly, “Be quiet, you’re ruining Murphy’s favorite scene.”

Emori grew still suddenly and her eyes widened comically. She moved her eyes from Raven’s face down to where Raven’s finger rested on her lips, and back up again.

Raven felt the world stop completely, entirely unsure of what had caused the massive shift of energy in the room. She removed her finger from Emori’s lips slowly, and when she looked back up at Emori’s face something had changed. Raven opened her mouth slightly to say...something, what she wasn’t sure. Before she could get a single word out however, Emori leaned forward and placed her lips on Raven’s so softly that Raven almost thought it was a drunken dream of some sort.

But this wasn’t a dream, not at all. She could taste the peppermint of Emori’s chapstick, she could smell the floral undertones of Emori’s perfume, and she felt...well she felt like the entire world had never revolved correctly before this moment. Before she could think any more about what was happening, her body caught up with her mind and she returned the kiss in earnest, for once not using the logical part of her brain. She cupped Emori’s face with her hands and marveled at the softness of her skin, and when she lightly ran her tongue over Emori’s bottom lip she had to stop herself from crying out loud when Emori granted her entrance.

Raven felt her heart constrict and beat furiously as she continued to get lost in the experience of kissing Emori. She had never kissed a woman before, and she was shocked at how much she enjoyed it. Emori was a fantastic kisser, and Raven couldn’t think about anything except for how good Emori’s mouth felt on hers, until she heard Murphy’s voice, and her heart stopped completely.

“You guys gonna include me in this little display?” Murphy’s voice was slightly slurred, but he didn’t sound angry exactly.

Raven forced herself away from Emori, even though every nerve in her body ached to return to the other woman.

“Oh, John, you’re still my favorite husband,” Emori cooed, turning to him and kissing him with as much passion as she had bestowed upon Raven. 

Raven watched the display, and she was stunned to realize she didn’t feel jealous or upset, or even guilty. In fact, she gasped with the awareness that what she was feeling was  _ arousal. _ Raven shook her head, she was entirely too drunk for this. She watched Emori kiss Murphy both tenderly and aggressively, however the hell that was possible. When they stopped kissing and both turned to her expectantly, Raven tried to get to her feet unsteadily. Before she could stand, Emori had taken hold of her hand and pulled her back down. 

“It’s okay,” Emori whispered, in Raven’s ear, her breath reigniting the previous feelings that the kiss had brought on. “Go on,” Emori encouraged, and Raven didn’t understand what she meant, until Murphy leaned forward and captured Raven’s lips in a heated kiss. 

Raven gasped as he kissed her, and felt herself be drawn into the sensation completely. Kissing Murphy was different than kissing Emori was, though there was a more familiar feel of stubble, the lines and contours were harder and more masculine, closer to what she was used to. But kissing Murphy had the same appeal, the same raw passion, and Raven never wanted to stop. Her brain was aware that she shouldn’t be kissing  _ either _ one of her  _ very happily married _ house mates, but her body couldn’t fathom the idea of never kissing either of them again. And that was what scared the ever loving shit out of her.

Raven finally broke the kiss and leaned back into her original seat, relief flooded through her when Emori returned to kissing Murphy. When their hands started roaming and clothing started becoming displaced, Raven jumped to her feet as gracefully as possible, and fled to her room. 

It was a relief to her conflicted and heated heart that neither of them followed her. She paced around her room for several minutes, trying to calm the anxious beating of her heart and the uncomfortable flush of warmth spreading out from her core, before finally collapsing into bed. Raven worried, for a short while, what she would do if Emori or Murphy came to her door, what she would say if they wanted to talk. The idea of facing either of them made her face flush hot with dread and embarrassment, and she clutched her hands to her abdomen to alleviate the ache she felt. While Raven panicked, she tossed in her bed for a few minutes, but never heard another sound before she fell asleep, tears sliding down her cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter quote is from the song "How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful?" by Florence and the Machine.
> 
> Thank you so much to all the support I've received for this little story! It means the world to me.
> 
> And I am continually grateful for the northernxstories for all the hard work making this story even better.


End file.
